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Will Smith<\/a>\u00a0made his musical return in a big way at Sunday’s\u00a0<\/span>BET Awards<\/a>!<\/span><\/p>\n The\u00a0Oscar winner and four-time GRAMMY winner, 55, took the stage alongside collaborators\u00a0Fridayy and Sunday Service for the first performance of his new single, “You Can Make It,” and got the crowd on their feet with the intense new track.<\/span><\/p>\n Before Smith hit the stage, his voice rang out through the theater as he introduced his inspiring track with a powerful ethos, “I don’t know who needs to\u00a0hear this right now, but\u00a0whatever’s going on in your\u00a0life, I’m here to tell you you\u00a0can make it.”<\/span><\/p>\n The track feels deeply personal for Smith and shares a message of universal hope aimed at those struggling with hopelessness and distress.<\/span><\/p>\n “You are in the smoke and the fire \/ Tight rope on the wires \/ I see you’re broken and tired \/ And all your hope is expired,” Smith rapped in the opening verse. “So many tests for the flesh \/ Exhausted, gasping to catch your breath \/ Walking through the valley of the shadow of death \/ And when you think you’ve got nothing left, keep going.”<\/span><\/p>\n Surrounded by a ring of fire — and later showered in rain — Smith rapped his track with a fiery passion that was amplified by\u00a0Sunday Service and special guest Kirk Franklin, who joined Smith on stage to help deliver the powerful message behind the impactful new song.<\/span><\/p>\n After kicking off his solo music career in 1997 with the “Men in Black” theme song, Smith’s first two solo albums — <\/span>Big Willie Style<\/span><\/em> and <\/span>Willennium<\/span><\/em> — both went platinum multiple times over. He later took a step back to focus on acting, with his last major music releases as a lead artist coming when he covered “Friend Like Me” and “Prince Ali” as part of the soundtrack for the live-action <\/span>Aladdin<\/span><\/em> remake in 2019.<\/span><\/p>\n “From his start as a rapper to<\/span>\u00a0The Fresh Prince<\/span><\/em>\u00a0to being a box office king as one of the\u00a0<\/span>Bad Boys,\u00a0<\/span><\/em>Will Smith is truly a global icon, and we are honored to welcome him back to grace the BET Awards stage,” shared Connie Orlando, BET’s EVP of Specials, Music Programming & Music Strategy, in a press release announcing the performance. “We look forward to Will adding to yet another defining night for the culture that is not to be missed.”<\/span><\/p>\n Smith joined a stacked slate of live performers at the\u00a0Peacock Theater\u00a0in Los Angeles, California —\u00a0including\u00a0<\/span>Lauryn Hill<\/a>, YG Marley,\u00a0<\/span>Ice Spice<\/a>, Tyla, GloRilla, Latto, Muni Long, Sexyy Red, Shaboozey and\u00a0<\/span>Victoria Mon\u00e9t<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n Meanwhile,\u00a0<\/span>Taraji P. Henson<\/a>\u00a0was\u00a0<\/span>back to host\u00a0the annual awards show\u00a0for the third time<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n This year, the BET Awards paid special tribute to\u00a0<\/span>Usher<\/a>, who will receive\u00a0the prestigious Lifetime Achievement BET Award. The\u00a0<\/span>“Love in this Club” singer<\/a>, 45, will join a celebrated list of\u00a0game-changers and industry pioneers who have left a lasting impact on the culture and entertainment.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n The <\/span>2024 BET Awards<\/a>, hosted by <\/span>Taraji P. Henson<\/a>, airs <\/span>live on the BET channel<\/a> from <\/span>the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles<\/a> on Sunday, June 30, at 8 p.m. ET\/PT. <\/span>Check out the complete winners list here.\u00a0<\/a><\/p>\n